


One Broken Heart For Sale

by olgushka



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, First Kiss, First Meetings, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Strangers to Lovers (Implied)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:14:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22351639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olgushka/pseuds/olgushka
Summary: Josh's new neighbor is slowly getting on his nerves.
Relationships: Josh Dun/Tyler Joseph
Comments: 12
Kudos: 67





	One Broken Heart For Sale

Josh considers himself a nice person - a really nice (maybe even too nice), compassionate, helpful, _patient_ person. He’s a kindergarten teacher after all.

He’s passionate about his job: he loves kids, he loves making the classroom a place where learning is fun, he loves making a difference. But sometimes he feels like he should get a medal for holding back from stabbing some of those little _gnomes_ with a pencil. Handling about thirty tiny tots running around can definitely put your patience to the test every single day. Apparently, Josh’s new neighbor loves to test his patience as well. And of course, he chooses to do so when Josh goes through a nerve-wracking week of parent-teacher conferences.

 _He_ because Josh knows it’s a guy – a young man with short brown hair styled in a fluffy mohawk, who can’t be more than thirty years old. Josh saw him the other day when he was running late to work and the guy was in the middle of carrying heavy boxes to his apartment. 

An apartment next door that was empty for almost a year. The apartment where Mrs. Bishop used to live and died peacefully in her sleep. Josh still gets teary-eyed when he thinks about her. She was the nicest old lady he’s ever known: she used to cook for him, bring him homemade meals and cookies, and occasionally looked after his place when Josh was out of town visiting his parents. The thin wall that divides both apartments used to bring him lots of giggles when he listened to her long one-sided conversations with her cat - a white and grey ragdoll that now lives with Josh, follows his every move and sleeps in Josh’s bed, curled up on top of his chest every single night. Adopting Presley was an obvious move. He knew he had to do it, he knew he owed it to Mrs. Bishop.

The thin wall that used to put a smile on his face, now gives him nightmares. And maybe he wouldn’t be so mad about it if he wasn’t so stressed out about things he has to deal with at school.

It’s another workday afternoon when his still nameless neighbor decides to give him a four-hour-long concert of slow, depressing songs played at full volume. Normally, Josh wouldn’t mind loud music. He loves going to gigs and screaming his head off to the lyrics he knows but now - after a long day of dealing not only with three-year-olds but their parents as well - the only things he desires are some peace and quiet.

For two days in a row, Josh has probably heard every possible sad song ever written. It gives him an idea that his neighbor must be going through some sort of heartbreak and yeah, Josh understands that it must be hard because heartbreaks suck. But the sympathy quickly changes into anger because one: this is called _terrorizing_ people and two: headphones were invented for a reason.

When Josh comes back from school on the third day, the apartment next door is surprisingly quiet. It’s quiet when he eats his leftover pizza and it’s quiet when he prepares his teaching plan for the next few days, organizing learning material for his group. His luck doesn’t last long because an hour later another free concert starts again and this time, it’s the same song played on repeat. Josh doesn’t have anything against Demi Lovato but hearing _Stone Cold_ six times in a row can be a little bit too much.

Josh slams his hand on the table with so much force that his pen ends up rolling off the edge and falling to the floor. He takes a deep breath and stands up, pushing Presley off his lap and marches towards his front door. He makes sure to bang on his neighbor’s door when the song ends - he wants to make sure that the guy heard his knocking. The apartment gets quiet and a few seconds later a sound of the door unlocking reaches his ears.

His neighbor opens the door with a wallet in his hand and looks Josh up and down. The whole anger leaves Josh’s body when he sees the state the man is in: he’s thin and pale, his eyes are bloodshot and red, irritated from crying - he must have been crying not long before opening the door because his cheeks are still wet. He’s dressed in old sweatpants and an oversized hoodie and his hair sticks out in many different directions.

„Um, so where’s my food?” He asks, making Josh snap out of it. His voice cracks but he doesn’t seem to be bothered by it.

„Food?”

„You’re the delivery guy, right?”

„No, no, dude. I’m your neighbor. I live next door.” Josh says, gesturing to the half-open door to his apartment.

„Oh. What did you want?”

„I just...” Josh hesitates. _Came to murder you_. „I came to say hi. Are you alright?”

„Was the music too loud?” He asks, ignoring Josh’s question. He blinks and a tear runs down his cheek and disappears in his short beard. „I’m sorry if it was, I just- I’m trying- Please, don’t make a complaint on me. It won’t happen again.”

„No, no. It’s okay. Can I help you somehow?”

„Why?” The neighbor asks, frowning.

„Dude, you’re _crying_.”

The man rubs at his face and looks down at his wet hand. He wipes it off against the material of his hoodie and sniffles loudly to stop his nose from running.

„I guess I am.” He says, biting his lip. He looks like he’s trying to fight against another wave of emotions.

„Look.” Josh starts, trying to distract him. He knows he’s acting on impulse but seeing the state the guy is in makes his stomach clench in sympathy. „Do you want to come over to my place? I can make you a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and we can just talk or... or sit in silence if you prefer. I just don’t really want you to be alone right now.”

„Do I really look like I’m about to do something stupid?”

Josh frowns. Now he’s worried.

„Do you _want_ to do something stupid? Have you been thinking about it?” He asks but his neighbor only shrugs, avoiding the eye-contact and looking like he regrets saying anything in the first place. „In that case, you definitely should come over. I insist.”

„No, I- I didn’t mean it like that. I- I don’t want to be a bother, I’m fine. I’ll just turn down the music and- And I need to wait for my food...” He explains chaotically.

„We can wait for your food and you can eat it at my place.” Josh stands his ground.

It takes a little bit more effort to convince his neighbor to agree but eventually, he gives up and nods, sighing heavily. He goes back inside, turns off all the lights and shuts the lid of his laptop, grabs his phone and joins Josh in the hallway. They don’t wait too long (the delivery guy arrives shortly after his neighbor closes the door to his apartment) but during these few minutes Josh learns his name - Tyler - and that he moved here from Chicago.

Josh invites him to his kitchen but politely refuses when Tyler offers to share his take-away. Even if the food smells great and Tyler looks like he’s about to shove everything into his mouth in a few seconds, he doesn’t eat a lot. He chews slowly and picks at his beef chop suey until he pushes away the half-empty container and shakes his head.

„Do you want to move to the living room?” Josh asks, flicking the electric kettle on. „You can go ahead, make yourself comfortable on the couch. I’ll make you something hot to drink and join you in a minute. Coffee? Tea?”

„Coffee. Just... Strong. Black. No milk, no sugar. If that’s not a problem.”

„Not at all.” Josh smiles and reaches for two mugs. „There’s a cat somewhere in this apartment. Just a friendly warning. He loves to scare people by suddenly jumping out of his hiding places.”

When he walks into the living room a few minutes later, he finds Presley sitting in the middle of the carpet cleaning his fur and Tyler standing next to him, reading something he holds in his shaking hand. When he registers footsteps behind his back, he turns to Josh, looks at him with glistening eyes and miserable expression on his face, and waves a few papers around.

„You’re- You’re a teacher?” He asks, his voice breaking. Before Josh can give him an answer, his neighbor takes a shaky breath and rubs at his eyes that start leaking not long after. „He- He is… _was_ too.” He chokes out and starts crying. Josh doesn’t know who said _he_ is or was and if he’s even allowed to ask about _him_ but then Tyler says something that clears things up a little bit. „And- And he left me for- for a girl!”

„Boyfriend?” Josh asks carefully, setting their drinks on the table and taking a seat on the couch. Presley jumps onto his lap right away and rubs his head against Josh’s chin.

„Husband.”

 _Shit_.

„Dude, I’m- I’m so sorry this happened to you. How long have you been married?”

„Three years. We were dating for four.”

„That’s a very long time.”

 _Seven years_. Josh can’t imagine being dumped after so many years spent together. He could never hold a relationship as long as seven months so seven years seem like something surreal.

„It’s actually a funny story.” Tyler continues, laughing humorlessly. „He simply came back home from work one day, told me that he met someone and he wants a divorce. He said he wanted to split up on friendly terms before he cheats on me and we part in anger.”

„Just like that?”

„Just like that.”

„That’s... Dude, that’s so fucked up.”

„I know.” Tyler nods in agreement and takes a seat on the couch next to Josh. He takes a sip of his coffee, eyeing the cat. „He said he had _morals_.”

„Did he ever give you any sign that he wants to... you know. Leave you?” Josh asks, tucking one of his legs underneath him and turning his body towards Tyler, giving him his full attention. If Tyler wants to talk, Josh is ready to listen.

„No. It was incredibly sudden. We had a nice dinner the night before and he told me about the divorce the next day.”

„And you agreed?”

„I didn’t want to, at first. I wanted to fix whatever needed to be fixed but he said it wasn’t my fault. That there was nothing to fix. He was very persistent and didn’t really want to talk about it. He- One day was enough for him to turn from a loving husband into a complete stranger.” Another few tears roll down Tyler’s cheek. „He moved out within a week.”

„Are you done with the divorce process?”

„One of his father’s friends is a lawyer. He helped us make it quick.” Tyler says, staring at his knees. „I left Chicago as soon as I got the final decision.”

„You said he left you for a girl.” Josh doesn’t want to pry but it’s stronger than him. Besides, maybe making Tyler say everything out loud will give him some peace of mind. „So... You know. He’s not gay?”

„I thought he was. He always identified as one. I know that... uh, falling in love is a tricky thing. Like, you can’t really fight with what your heart says and what you feel and figuring yourself out – your sexuality - can take years but... damn, he was the one who asked me to marry him! I thought he loved me!” Tyler sobs. „He was the one who asked me to marry him and... and he was the one who asked for a divorce and it hurts, Josh. I don’t want to be a selfish prick and I want to be happy for him but it hurts so bad.”

Suddenly, Demi’s song played on repeat makes so much sense. _If happy is her, I'm happy for you._

„I understand. And again, I’m very sorry it happened to you.” Josh says. „But you don’t have to go through this alone. My apartment is always open for you if you feel like you need a safe place to spend some time in.”

„Thank you.” Tyler wipes his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie and drinks the rest of his coffee. He puts the mug away. „You only just met me and you’re already nicer than most people I know. It’s... I can’t even go back to my parent’s house. They’ve never accepted my sexuality and they’ve never accepted my relationship. My family didn’t even come to my wedding. I had to rent that place-” He points to the wall that divides both apartments. „-because I have nowhere else to go. I haven’t even unpacked yet.” He sighs, shaking his head. „God, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”

„It’s absolutely fine. Sometimes it’s good to let it all out and talk to a complete stranger instead of someone who knows you.”

„Maybe you’re right.” Tyler tries to smile, shyly looking up and meeting Josh’s eyes. „Are you sure I’m not bothering you?”

„Absolutely not. I needed a break anyway.” Josh gestures to the pile of papers on the table. „I have many meetings with parents this week. They’re stressing me out.”

„Meetings or parents?”

„Both. I can deal with kids but adults are like... aliens. It’s like we speak a completely different language.”

„Give me an example?” Tyler challenges.

Josh doesn’t really want to talk about work but seeing as Tyler becomes more open and relaxed with every passing minute, he decides to make an exception.

„Some parents are paranoid. Overly anxious. Especially when it’s the first time sending their kids to kindergarten. With every new group, before the start of the school year, I send out emails with a list of supplies their kids will need for my classes. Crayons, pencils, paint... You know, the usual stuff. Last year, a mother showed up with four types of glue because she wasn’t sure if I meant a big or small tube and she didn’t know which one was the safest for her son to use, ingredient-wise.”

For the first time since Josh invited Tyler over, the other man laughs a genuine laugh. He throws his head back and laughs loudly like Josh just told him the funniest joke.

„Are you serious?”

„Yeah! And those parents who ask a million questions in twenty seconds and expect me to give them detailed answers to everything. Those are tiring as heck. _What if Suzie misses me during the day? What if she needs help in the bathroom? What if she doesn’t eat her lunch? Is she being challenged enough?_ ” Josh mocks in a high-pitched voice and it only makes Tyler laugh harder. „Kids are great. Besides tantrums they throw sometimes, they’re actually awesome. They listen, they’re curious. They ask questions. They come to you and say that they love you or that you’re their favorite person. They fall asleep in your arms when you put them down for a nap. But their parents? Dude. Sometimes I think it’s them who should go back to school.”

„You really do love your job, don’t you?”

„Except for dealing with paranoid parents, yes.” Josh chuckles. „What about you? What do you do?”

Tyler drops his gaze and starts playing with his fingers. There’s a visible embarrassment radiating from him.

„I’m just... It’s never anything permanent, you know? I had to quit my job when I was moving out of Chicago but I did lots of different stuff there.” He mumbles. „Retail, mostly. I didn’t really like it but... you know. It’s still money. I’m looking for a job at the moment but there aren’t many offers for people like me. I’m not as educated and passionate as you.” 

Tyler’s mood visibly drops again so Josh tries to save the situation. He scoots closer, puts his hand on the other man’s knee and tries to make eye contact with him exactly as he would do with every kid in his class.

„I’ll tell you what. Not everyone has a job they’re in love with. And that’s fine. It doesn’t always have to be about passion or meaning or changing the world.” Josh says and Tyler shyly looks up again. There’s a little bit of doubt in his expression, a little bit of shyness, a little bit of hope. „Sometimes our only goal is to pay bills. Sometimes our only goal is to make the ends meet and there’s absolutely no shame in that. Whatever you’re doing... Even if you don’t like it, even if you’re not using your degree... or maybe if you don’t even have a degree - it doesn’t matter. And there’s nothing to feel ashamed of. You’re still young, you’re doing your best and-”

He almost crushes Presley when Tyler suddenly leans in his direction and smashes their lips together, fingers desperately fisting the material of Josh’s t-shirt, pulling him closer. Josh blindly shoos the cat away and reaches out, resting his hands against Tyler’s chest and gently pushing him away.

Tyler’s reaction is delayed and he still chases Josh’s mouth after they separate but once he opens his eyes and sees Josh staring at him with confusion, he realizes what he’s done, he goes red in the face and he immediately panics.

He jumps away from Josh, mumbling something under his breath, something that sounds like: _Oh, no. Oh, my God. Oh, no_. Judging how fast he stood up and stumbled backward and how the table shook when he did, Josh is completely sure that Tyler hit his leg against the sharp corner of the furniture. He doesn’t seem to feel any pain but Josh knows there will be a nasty bruise on his shin tomorrow.

„I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” Tyler blurts out, slowly backing away towards the door like he’s afraid that Josh will chase and attack him if he tries to run. „I don’t know why I did it! I’m- I’m not like _that_!”

„Tyler, wait. Calm down.” Josh stands up and takes a step closer in his direction but Tyler only whimpers looking over his shoulder, clearly trying to remember the way to the front door.

„I’m sorry! You were- You’re just so nice and the way you speak- It... It reminds me of _him_ and- You’re so pretty and I saw a p-picture of you at the Pride Parade on your shelf! Maybe that’s why I- Oh, God. _Fuck_. I just- I’m so sorry-” His chaotic speech gets interrupted by the loud hiccup and Josh knows that his neighbor is on the edge of hyperventilating.

He quickly crosses the room and grabs Tyler by the shoulders, stopping him from running away. It’s like consoling a panicking child. No sudden moves, no raised voices, clear, simple message.

„It’s alright.” He starts gently. „It’s okay, I’m not mad. You’re tired, you need a break. Your emotions are all over the place.”

„I’m sorry.” Tyler whispers between quiet sobs. „Oh, God. I’m so sorry.”

„It really is okay.” Josh assures. „I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult this entire situation must be for you. I’m sure you’re a great guy but I won’t be your one-night stand because it’s definitely not what you need right now, Tyler.” 

Tyler doesn’t say anything, he just bites his lip to stop himself from making any noises. It’s been a long while since Josh saw a man as heartbroken as Tyler so he takes pity on him and gathers him in his arms, letting the other man lean against his chest. Tyler doesn’t hold back anymore – he starts crying again and Josh rubs his back.

„You need rest, tons of sleep. You need to clear your head a little bit.” Josh says and Tyler nods, rubbing his forehead against Josh’s shoulder. „It hurts but you will heal and it will only get better with time. If you need a friend to talk to, I’m here for you. You can always come over and talk to me or... rant or maybe even scream, whatever will make you feel better. But don’t act impulsively. I don’t want you to make any decisions that you might regret later.”

„Thank you.” Tyler whispers, slowly pulling away from Josh and wiping his irritated eyes. „I’m sorry again.” He says. „And thanks for, you know... not punching me in the face. I don’t usually throw myself at every guy I meet. I don’t even know where this kind of behavior came from and I feel so embarrassed! I’m just- I’m not in the greatest headspace at the moment. I don’t feel like myself. I don’t know what to do. It’s… It’s a lot. Too much.”

„Understandable.” Josh hums and smiles. „Come on, let’s sit down.”

„No, no. I- I should go. I took enough of your time and I already made a fool of myself.”

„Tyler, you’re _fine_.” Josh says and Presley chooses the same moment to walk out of his hiding place behind the curtain. He walks towards Tyler and starts rubbing his body around his legs, purring loudly. „See? Presley wants you to stay too.”

„Presley? Like... Elvis?”

„Well, his original name before I adopted him was Parsley but I changed it. Presley is more, you know… rock and roll.”

„Sure.” Tyler’s lips curve into a tiny smile.

„So? Will you stay? You can even stay the night if you want to. I have the spare room ready.”

„Thank you. Uhm… For everything. But I really should go.” He blushes again and avoids Josh’s eyes. He still looks a little uncomfortable.

„Are you sure you’ll be fine?”

„Yes, I think so.”

„Alright... You know where to find me if you feel bad again or if you just want to talk.” He says and Tyler nods in agreement. Josh walks with him towards the front door and leans against the doorframe when Tyler says his goodbyes and turns to his apartment. „Oh, and Tyler?” He calls out. The other man turns around with a questioning look on his face. „Can you do me a favor?”

„I… I guess?”

„No more Demi Lovato tonight, please.”

„I’ll see what I can do.” Tyler answers with a quiet chuckle. „Bye, Josh.” He says and disappears behind the door that closes with a click a moment later.

Josh goes back inside his own apartment with a little smirk on his face. He prepares food for his four-legged companion and refills his bowl with fresh water. Before he can even sit down to focus on the teaching plan, loud music fills his neighbor’s apartment again. It’s not Demi Lovato’s voice this time and Josh frowns at the unfamiliar tune but after he realizes who’s singing the song, he can’t stop himself from laughing out loud and shaking his head in disbelief.

Presley looks up at him wiggling his tail and Josh picks him up to rub his fingers behind his ears.

„He’s something else.” He says to the cat and kisses the top of his little head, swaying his body to the rhythm of Elvis’ song. „He’s definitely something else.”

_Who wants to buy a heart, one broken lover's heart, one broken heart for sale..._

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the thing: there's a folder on my computer with many unfinished one-shots. If I'm inspired enough, maybe they will finally see the light of day.
> 
> This one is something I started writing in January 2019 as a challenge from [**kyeopen**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyeopen). The prompt was: _You're my new neighbor and you've been listening to the same song on repeat for four hours now and when I go bang on your door to scream at you to either turn it down or turn it off you answer the door in tears. Wait right here, I've got a hundred warm blankets in my bedroom and ice-cream in my fridge - let's talk this out._ I've written half of it but never was motivated enough to finish what I started. So here it is. I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> Also, go check kyeopen's fics in your free time. She's my bestest dude and she's brilliant.


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